(to The Battle of New Orleans) (sing slower than normal to be understood)

In 1991 we came to Kalispell To jump with you and drink with you and raise a little hell. We've got some songs for you we know you'll like to hear But the price of the concert is, you owe us all a beer!

Chorus We come from Arizona and we come from California, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. We're the minority, a skydiving sorority We're the Crack Choir and we've quite a sight to see.

We learned the lessons that the past had to teach. We won't do any nude jumps out of Elevator's Beech! The wagon wheel's gone so we can't hang upside down But the girls of the Choir are the most fun around.

WELL I KNOW JUST WHY I CAME HERE TONITE NEED THAT DIAMOND GOTTA GET IT RIGHT. OVER THERE I SEE THE BASE PIN WHEN THEY GET THE WEDGE I'M COMIN' IN. NYLON TO THE LEFT OF ME, NYLON TO THE RIGHT HERE I AM - WRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU HERE I AM - WRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU

NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO I'M IN QUICKLY SPINNING MAL WITH YOU. SHOULD WE RIDE IT SHOULD WE CUT IT AWAY? WE'RE AT TEN GRAND AND IT'S HARD TO SAY. JACK KNIFE IN MY LEFT HAND, ZAK KNIFE IN MY RIGHT HERE I AM - WRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU HERE I AM - WRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU

HARD OPEN'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING

SO WE STAY ON AIRPLANE HEADING YEAH. (do do do do....da-do do do do.....)

NASSERED HARD INTO THE SLOT

NOW JUST LOOK AT WHAT WE GOT.

we said We ee ee ee eeeeee

we said We ee ee ee eeeeee

WELL IT ONLY TOOK A SECOND OR TWO WE DECIDED WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO. WE LOOKED AND THEN WE COUNTED TO THREE CUT AWAY AND WE WERE FALLIN FREE. ONE DUDE ON THE LEFT SIDE, ONE DUDE ON THE RIGHT HERE I AM - DOIN' A TWO WAY WITH YOU HERE I AM - DOIN' A TWO WAY WITH YOU

WE TURNED AND STARTED TRACKIN AT THREE JUST HOW HARD WILL THIS OPENING BE? PULLED THE SILVER HANDLE AND WHAM! RESERVE CANOPY OH MAN. RISERS ON THE LEFT OF ME, RISERS ON THE RIGHT HERE I AM - RIDING RESERVE WITH YOU HERE I AM - RIDING RESERVE WITH YOU

WELL WE HAD THIS BIG FORMATION

WAS THE BIGGEST IN THE NATION HUH. (do do do do....da-do do do do.....)

WE KNEW WE'RE GONNA WRAP

WHEN IT STARTED GOIN' TO CRAP

we said Je ee ee ee eeeezzz

we said Je ee ee ee eeeezzz

NOW THAT WE'RE ADDICTED TO CREW THERE'S ON MORE THING WE GOTTA DO. GOTTA GET ANOTHER BASE PIN USED THE RAVEN TWO'S AND SLAMMED THEM IN. DACRON ON THE LEFT OF ME, DACRON ON THE RIGHT HERE I AM - ANOTHER BI-PLANE WITH YOU HERE I AM - ANOTHER BI-PLANE WITH YOU

THIS COOL JUMP ISN'T OVER JUST YET THERE'S ONE MORE THING WE GOTTA GET. TURNED IT TO THE AIRPORT TO SEE IF WE COULD HIT THAT PIT OF PEAS. HONKED IT TO THE LEFT, THEN HONKED IT TO THE RIGHT HERE I AM - DEAD CENTRE LANDING WITH YOU HERE I AM - DEAD CENTRE LANDING WITH YOU

CAN'T FIND OUR FREEBAGS CUZ WE CUT 'EM FREE BUT OUR BUDDIES FOUND THEM STUCK IN THE TREES. GOT OUR RIGGER AND WE PACKED UP AGAIN GEARED UP AND THEN WE JUMPED IN THE PLANE. WING SPAN ON THE LEFT OF ME, WING SPAN ON THE RIGHT HERE I AM STUCK IN THE OTTER WITH YOU HERE I AM WRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU HERE I AM DOIN' A TWO WAY WITH YO HERE I AM RIDING RESERVE WITH YOU HERE I AM DEAD CENTRE LANDING WITH YOU HERE I AM STUCK IN THE OTTER WITH YOU........

Flying Fred had cratered in A week ago and now and then We saw the spot where he'd been killed The hole in the ground had just been filled.

It made us stop and it made us think But we shrugged our shoulders and drank our drinks; We knew the score when he got his: Jumping from planes is a dangerous biz.

Fred had given up students and he'd given up style And he only saw the target every once in a while. Most of the time he walked country roads Having just come down from an eight-man load.

Time and again we'd heard Fred say, "Now save a place, 'cause on the day That this state sees a ten-man fly I'm closing tenth before I die."

Well, thinking of what we'd heard Fred say We decided to hold a memorial day. The first ten-man still gleamed in our eyes So on this day we'd give it a try.

With chewing gum and refrigerator tape We put our Beech into real good shape. The pilot grinned at the dripping oil Then strapped on a rig and said, "Let's roll."

The Federal Man thought otherwise; He threw the book and said, "Look you guys, You bounced old Fred when you were up last time; The tenth man stays, You're going with nine."

With tears in his eyes someone got off the load, Threw his gear in the trunk and drove off down the road. With thirty-six jumps he'd have probably done fine But Fred would be happy if we got the first nine.

The Beech took off in a black smoke cloud Just under the wires and over the crowd! Spectators ducked and faces got white And we didn't breathe 'til we were in flight!

We were two hours late when we hit twelve-five And the pilot yelled with fear in his eyes, "Get ready you guys, we're going on in 'Cause we're out of gas! Better check my pins!"

"Man in the door!" came a muffled shout, I was typing my shoes when the base fell out; The pin was gone, then three, then four, And then there was nothing but me and the door!

I dove head low, someone's boot in my mouth; The prop blast hit as I flew out; Tumbling plane overhead, falling bodies below, Stable at last, but a long way to go.

I tracked so hard that I couldn't stop, My breath was gone and my eyeballs popped! Drilled a hole in a cloud and started to flare, And when I came out the star was there.

I got a good grip and the star was round; One eye on the needle and one on the ground We started to break when we heard a yell And across from me was a face from hell!

Trailing red smoke from an M-18 A phantom tenth man appeared on the scene! We wanted to break but found we could not. Our grips froze tight when he hit the slot!

I'll swear to this day it was Flying Fred, He had surplus gear and his eyes were red! With a laugh you could hear and a wave of his hand He broke off the star just over a grand!

Nobody waved and nobody tracked, The trees got so big we just unpacked! Reserves went by! Out flashed my own! But that red smoke flew towards the ground.

Out by the peas was the Federal Man Timing low pulls with a watch in his hands. Came the lowest pull of all that day Because Phantom Fred was heading his way.

With a grinning laugh and a blast of wind In a cloud of smoke Fred brought it on in! Lightning flashed and thunder rolled! When the smoke cleared away, there was just a hole.

White reserves started landing there, The Beech was down in a field somewhere The FAA didn't like all this; The man staggered off to file a near miss.

We all looked at the hole; then we all shook hands. It was legal now, our first ten-man. Where Fred had gone we couldn't say But our witness was the FAA.

That night over a beer we thought of a way To salute Flying Fred's Memorial Day. Where that smoke bomb hit, now a marker stands, It says, "Boys, I was with you on your first ten-man!"